1855
6 books
- Bulfinch’s Mythology non-fictionLess a book to read straight through than one to keep around, dipping in for Orpheus one night and King Arthur another. Bulfinch retells the myths in tidy Victorian prose, a bit prim about the scandalous parts, but you come away finally knowing who's who and why poets keep borrowing them.
- You’ll enjoy this as a slim, gloriously baffling phrasebook, where sections on idioms, conversation, and letter-writing turn ordinary Portuguese into English that sounds almost right and then wanders off a cliff. It’s more curious comic artifact than sustained reading, perfect in small doses.
- Poetry that talks straight to you, sometimes a century ahead of schedule, like in Crossing Brooklyn Ferry where he addresses future readers by name, meaning you. Whitman rambles and repeats himself, sure, but read Song of Myself aloud and see if your chest doesn't loosen.
- Margaret Hale is stubborn in the best way, and watching her argue with mill owner Thornton about strikes and pride is half the pleasure, the falling in love sneaks up on both of them. The opening chapters down south drag a bit, but stick with it.
- These are strange in the best way, all glowing skulls and huts on chicken legs, and nobody softens them for children. Read a few at a time before bed and Baba Yaga starts feeling less like a villain and more like weather.
- A small, quiet book where the whole drama is one gentle old man's conscience: Mr Harding playing his cello while everyone (the press, his blustering son-in-law, a well-meaning reformer) fights over him. If you like kindness taken seriously, this one rewards patience.